US initial jobless claims fall by 9,000

(Sharecast News) - Americans lined up for unemployment benefits at a decelerated pace in the week ended 10 January, according to the Department of Labor. Initial jobless claims decreased to 198,000, down by 9,000 from the prior week's downwardly revised level, while continuing claims decreased by 19,000 to 1.88m.

The four-week moving average, which aims to strip out week-to-week volatility, fell by 6,500 to 205,000.

Meanwhile, the advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.2% for the week ending 3 January, unchanged from the previous week's unrevised rate.





Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com